There’s nothing more advanced than relating with others. There’s nothing more advanced than communication – compassionate communication.
The gulf between I and you is the ego. When the ego is removed the distance disappears and the ‘I’ and ‘you’ also disappear. They merge to become one — and that is love.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If you speak or act with an evil thought, pain follows. If you speak or act with a pure thought, happiness follows, like a shadow that never leaves.
Fasting in the monastic community is considered an ascetic practice, a “dhutanga” practice. Dhutanga means “to shake up” or “invigoration”. The Buddha, as is well known, emphasized moderation, the Middle Way that avoids extremes, in all things. Fasting is an additional method that one can take up, with supervision, for a time.
I am a human and I will only live a life which does credit to humans. I have been blessed with beautiful human form, a sharp intellect and a sensitive heart. How do I activate these gifts? Blessed with a priceless life, why should I not fit it with compassion for all beings?
